As evidence mounts that AIDS treatment is inexorably linked with other health issues, including  maternal health and tuberculosis, ITPC argues that it will not be possible to build sustainable,  credible health systems as the waiting lines for AIDS drugs grow.

The report ‘Rationing Funds, Risking Lives: World backtracks on HIV treatment’ is the 8th in the Missing the Target series, published by ITPC.

It analyses funding promises and changes in global approaches to treatment programmes and include community collected evidence from India, Kenya, Latvia, Malawi, Swaziland and Venezuela.

Download the report as a PDF file:

http://www.itpcglobal.org/

“From identifying research priorities to overcoming research barriers, HIV advocates have driven groundbreaking discoveries that have changed the course of this relentless epidemic. But with no cure or preventive vaccines in sight, rising new infection rates, and the continuing death toll, our work is far from over.”

A wide range of workshops presented by many of the most experienced US advocates ensure that the only free access to all slides and related documents are available as a resource for other community networks.

http://www.hivresearchcatalystforum.org/

The 2009 meeting built on the success of two previous meetings held in Sitges in 2007 and 2008, that were instrumental in advancing HCV drug development in co-infected people. The European Medicines Agency (EMA) has now issued guidelines and recommendations, for HCV drug development including pre-approval studies in HIV co-infected people. Although FDA has not formally issued recommendations, they also support pre-approval studies in HIV/HCV coinfected people. Community members contributed to these guidelines.

Some companies also initiated clinical trials in co-infected people, while others began consulting with the community to discuss their HCV early drug development programs for HIV/HCV co-infected people.

The objectives of the 2009 meeting were to promote a multi-stakeholder discussion on how to move HCV research and clinical trial design forward for HIV/HCV coinfected people.

The meeting was attended by approximately 50 participants representing European and US Community Advocates, regulatory agencies (FDA and EMA), pharmaceutical companies, clinicians and researchers.

Presentations from the meeting are available to download form the EATG website:

http://www.eatg.org/eatg/ECAB/Conferences/Brussels-I-Sitges-III-Nov-20-Brussels

On 5 May 2010, at the opening day of the World Economic Forum on Africa (WEF) in Dar Es Salaam, a group of nine AIDS activists from across the continent were detained for questioning by Tanzanian authorities after they handed over a memorandum entitled “Health is Wealth”, which emphasised the need for increased investment in health and particularly HIV, TB and Malaria in Africa, to two prominent speakers at the WEF.

Yvonne Chaka Chaka, a popular South African musician and UN Goodwill Ambassador for the region, and Christoph Benn, the Director of External Relations for the Global Fund to fight AIDS, TB and Malaria, had arranged with the group to receive the memorandum from them outside the conference centre.

The small group had been delegated by 40 NGO representatives from more than ten African countries, who were gathered in Dar Es Salaam to discuss global and regional advocacy strategies to address the urgent need for resource mobilisation for universal access to HIV prevention, treatment and care (universal access), and for replenishment of the Global Fund in October 2010.

The group had chosen the WEF as a focal point for advocacy because of the inextricable links between health and socio-economic development.

In calling on global leaders to mobilise at least US$20 billion for the Global Fund replenishment in October 2010, the memorandum also pointed out that, as warned by the World Bank, “responding to immediate fiscal pressure by reducing spending on HIV treatment and prevention will reverse recent gains and require costly offsetting measures over the longer term”.

The memorandum was originally intended to be handed over at a peaceful march with around 800 supporters, largely from Tanzanian community groups. However, the march was cancelled the night before, after the government revoked the permit to demonstrate.

Following the handing-over of the memorandum to Chaka Chaka and Benn outside the WEF, which lasted no longer than 15 minutes and caused no disruption to the conference activities, the group had boarded their bus and were preparing to return to their hotel when they were detained by police and taken to the police station for questioning. They were held for five hours, although ultimately no charges were issued or arrests made.

The group was then escorted under heavy security back to their hotel, where they were instructed to gather their luggage and proceed to the airport to wait through the night, under police supervision, until their flights departed from the country the following day. Although no formal “Prohibited Immigrant” notices were issued, members of the group were effectively treated as such and one member, who had planned to extend his stay by a few days, was compelled to accompany the group to the airport on standby for the next available flight.

Source: Treatment Action Campaign, Press Release (06 May 2010).